The ability to communicate wirelessly is becoming a necessity in emerging applications. Not only are new communication devices being introduced, but older devices that may have not featured wireless functionality are also being rethought. Wireless-enabled equipment commonly comprises at least radio circuitry and some sort of antenna over which wireless communication may be conducted. Both of these components are important to providing high quality of service. The radio circuitry may dictate the communication ability of the device, the types of interaction that may be conducted, etc., however, without a well-designed antenna signals may be dropped or not received at all. Thus, thought must be given to how these components are implemented.
When considering antenna implementation for mobile devices, there are many factors that may be influential. For example, at least one version of the popular iPhone mobile device manufactured by Apple Inc. would allegedly drop connections based on the manner in which a user held the device. It was later confirmed that the design of the antenna caused the iPhone to drop calls when the hand of the user was placed in contact with antenna bands that surrounded the device. In addition to placement, interference with the human body is also a concern. For example, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has enacted specific absorption rate (SAR) limits to ensure that wireless-enabled device users are not exposed to excess amounts of radio frequency (RF) energy. Again, since RF energy transmission and reception is focused at the antenna of the device, careful consideration must be given to antenna placement and design. The need to account for various usage scenarios, user safeguards, device performance, etc., may substantially dictate the implementation of antennas in wireless devices, which as a consequence may also limit device functionality, may increase the device size, may increase device cost, etc.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.